muck

1 of 2

noun

1
: soft moist farmyard manure
2
: slimy dirt or filth
3
a
: defamatory remarks or writings
b
: rubbish, nonsense
mindless muck
4
a(1)
: dark highly organic soil
(2)
: mire, mud
b
: something resembling muck : gunk
5
: material removed in the process of excavating or mining

muck

2 of 2

verb

mucked; mucking; mucks

transitive verb

1
a
: to clean up
especially : to clear of manure or filth
usually used with out
b
: to clear of muck
2
: to dress (something, such as soil) with muck
3
: to dirty with or as if with muck : soil

intransitive verb

1
: to move or load muck (as in a mine)
2
a
: to engage in aimless activity
usually used with about or around
b
: putter, tinker
usually used with about or around
mucking around with his computer
c
: interfere, meddle
usually used with about or around
mucker noun

Examples of muck in a Sentence

Noun Clean that muck off your shoes. spattered with muck from the pigpen Verb you can't work in the garden and not expect to muck your clothes
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
And yet Payton’s offense, which has often asked Nix to do too much in long-down situations, didn’t ask him to do much as both teams rolled in the muck Sunday. Luca Evans, Denver Post, 12 Oct. 2025 When work is happening, enough sediment is stirred up that water can run discolored for about 24 hours after the process has been completed until the muck all settles out. Karl Schneider, IndyStar, 6 Oct. 2025
Verb
Spencer said that vibe came out of a band — which has been filled with Tweedy family pals including members of Finom — at liberty to muck about with the arrangements. Jed Gottlieb, Boston Herald, 12 Oct. 2025 When one such encounter took place at Montreal’s Bell Centre over the weekend, a hulking defenseman in the Senators’ system was unafraid to muck it up. Julian McKenzie, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for muck

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English muk, perhaps from Old English -moc; akin to Old Norse myki dung

First Known Use

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of muck was in the 13th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Muck.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/muck. Accessed 17 Oct. 2025.

Kids Definition

muck

1 of 2 noun
ˈmək
1
: soft moist barnyard manure
2
3
a
: dark rich soil
b
: mud, mire
mucky
ˈmək-ē
adjective

muck

2 of 2 verb
1
: to clean up
especially : to clear of manure or filth
2
: to dress with muck
3
: to dirty with or as if with muck

More from Merriam-Webster on muck

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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